Open Flame on Dock

I am seeing more and more marinas with a no open flame policy on their docks and on your boat. No gas grilling with the Magma in other words.

Sometimes these marinas will have a couple of decent gas grills off the docks for tenants to use but others have none or an old beater of one.

I wonder if this is strictly an insurance requirement or have I missed the news of boats burning because someone was grilling aboard??

I once witnessed a Marina fire with many boats damaged. Started with an onboard grilling mishap..Nuff said.

2savage said:

I once witnessed a Marina fire with many boats damaged. Started with an onboard grilling mishap..Nuff said.

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Do you drive a car?

seasalt007 said:

I am seeing more and more marinas with a no open flame policy on their docks and on your boat. No gas grilling with the Magma in other words.

Sometimes these marinas will have a couple of decent gas grills off the docks for tenants to use but others have none or an old beater of one.

I wonder if this is strictly an insurance requirement or have I missed the news of boats burning because someone was grilling aboard??

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My marina has the policy of no open flame on the dock. OK to grill on the boat however.

Actual policy is:

Open Flame:


No vessel will be unattended while an open flame device is operating
on board.
An open flame device is any stove, furnace, lamp, heater, fireplace, peat,
kerosene, fuel oil, diesel oil, alcohol, gasoline or similar
fuel, candle, fuel burning lamp, open flame lantern, or any
similar device which provides light or heat by means of a
covered or visible flame or hot coals or embers.

A vessel shall be considered “unattended” if no
person having attained the age of 12 years is
physically present upon the vessel.

No cooking or open flames
of any sort shall be allowed on the walkways, wharves, docks, or piers of the Marina.

Fireworks of all types are prohibited at all times

What S41 pasted above is pretty much what my marina says, minus the part about unattended. They don't have that requirement. But, who is going to toss dinner on the Magma then leave it? Burned steaks are not my thing,

Greetings,
Could mean IF you have a propane refrigerator you couldn't leave the boat...

most marina's by us have that rule, usually when I see a rare instance of someone grilling its more of, "what the heck are they doing?!"

That's why I love being away from the dock, grill all you want, your taste of music...

I've been seeing it as well. That's the main reason I installed an electric grill on the aft deck. Granted the meat doesn't look as good but it gets the job done and I don't have to go hunting for a grill only to find it occupied or unusable.

mbevins said:

I've been seeing it as well. That's the main reason I installed an electric grill on the aft deck. Granted the meat doesn't look as good but it gets the job done and I don't have to go hunting for a grill only to find it occupied or unusable.

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The small 42 unit condo complex that I recently moved to has the same open flame policy on the balconies. It is really a no propane allowed in the building rule. When I sold my house I had a one year old Weber Genesis Special Edition the cost me almost a grand. I donated this to the condo association to replace the really sorry one they had by the clubhouse and pool. My neighbors thought I was really generous to do this but actually I wanted to keep using it myself. It turns out that the clubhouse is a building and a half away (100 yards max) and I am usually to lazy to walk over there to grill.

SO...I bought an electric Weber Q for my balcony. It is OK, but only that.

GFC said:

What S41 pasted above is pretty much what my marina says, minus the part about unattended. They don't have that requirement. But, who is going to toss dinner on the Magma then leave it? Burned steaks are not my thing,

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I cook pork roasts/loins often on the grill and leave it unattended at times.
Both at home and when on the boat at anchor.
No grilling at all on the boats in my marina or at any other marina in my area that I know of.

I can grill at my dock since it is at my house. A lot of marinas will not let you grill on the boat in the marina due to fire hazard.

My marina bans open flames except for a gas barbecue on the boat, which is explicitly permitted.

Grilling on the Dock

In the California Delta (Sacramento County at least) where most of the marina's have covered docks the issue is more a local Fire Marshall issue than an insurance issue. I'm sure, however, the insurance companies are quite happy with the rules.

The particular marina that we keep Freedom at has adequate gas barbeques for berther's to use so I really don't miss using the grill on board.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Could mean IF you have a propane refrigerator you couldn't leave the boat...

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If you have a propane refrigerator you probably shouldn't get on the boat in the first place.

As for prohibiting open flames on the docks, I'm more comfortable in a marina with that policy. It's a safety regulation.

I have only seen one marina in the last 10 years that allow grilling on the dock. That includes grilling on your boat while tied to the dock. Admittedly, it is frustrating when there are no grills available, or the grills available are banged up.

Interestingly, we Just moved to a new marina this past saturday and my wife had pointed out that someone had a small grill at the end of their finger pier. We were surprised and she was a bit horrified.

We have been in 39 marinas in the past 12 months. We have used our boat propane grill in 22 of them I guess the others must all have had a good restaurant or something. These marinas are mostly pretty well known, like Jekyll, Fernandina, Ft. Pierce, St Augustine, Cocoa and other first rate facilities. We have seen marinas which prohibit charcoal grills but none that prohibited the use of properly installed marine gas grills. The safety record speaks for itself.

I don't know..... I think a gas grill is a pretty safe device as long as its used sensibly. I understand that as a resident of a marina, you deserve some level of protection from a dangerous neighbor.....but this seems to go too far. I can see charcoal being prohibited because that stays hot long after the meal is done, and requiring that grills be attended at all times, maybe even having a fire extinguisher handy....but total prohibition seems Draconian.

Let me ask you guys something.....if it was allowed, would you mind if your neighbor used a gas grill ? Would you use one ?

Our marina doesn't have a problem with barbecues. I've set up a gas barbie at the end of the finger alongside the boat during our naming ceremony.
I don't see why it would be a safety issue. What is the difference in risk between open flame on the stove in your boat or on the barbie outside your boat?
I can understand the need to ensure there are no grease splatters on your dock neighbour's boat but where is the increased safety risk?

We see people using them in marinas quite often. It does not worry me. I don't recall any marina fire caused by a gas grill. On the other hand corroded power cord connections have caused many, many marina fires. So if there is a risk from a neighboring boat, the powercord is the place to look.

AusCan said:

Our marina doesn't have a problem with barbecues. I've set up a gas barbie at the end of the finger alongside the boat during our naming ceremony.
I don't see why it would be a safety issue. What is the difference in risk between open flame on the stove in your boat or on the barbie outside your boat?
I can understand the need to ensure there are no grease splatters on your dock neighbour's boat but where is the increased safety risk?

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For one thing, it can tip over. For another, open flames and gasoline vapors are a dangerous combination. Boat fuel tanks have open vents and sometimes spilled gasoline.

Sometimes we don't understand the rules because we are not experts in those fields. Not understanding the reason for the rules doesn't make them bad rules.

I`m more worried about seeing an old flame on the dock.

WesK said:

For one thing, it can tip over. For another, open flames and gasoline vapors are a dangerous combination. Boat fuel tanks have open vents and sometimes spilled gasoline.

Sometimes we don't understand the rules because we are not experts in those fields. Not understanding the reason for the rules doesn't make them bad rules.

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Do you really think "experts" make these rules. There are plenty of rules that are made by fools. Some managers just have the attitude to ban it just in case "something" happens. They don't have a clue what that something might be and banning it just covers their butt. Sorry - but that's not good enough for me.

If the area is dangerous for open flames- then ban open flames, including flames on stoves, diesel heaters, and propane refrigerators inside and outside the boats, and don't forget a smoking ban. Why just barbecues? Sorry - but their is no logic in this.

And yes, there is the very unlikely chance of a barbecue can tipping over. This potentially happen anywhere. If it tips over on a dock, its safer than most places. It is likely to end up in the water.

BruceK said:

I`m more worried about seeing an old flame on the dock.

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LOL
Bruce, and Wes, thanks for the humour.

I wonder how many times Magma has been sued for starting marine fires?

The collective number of nights spent in a marina by the people actively posting in this thread is probably hundreds of years.....and no one has mentioned a gas grill mishap.

It just seems like a solution to a problem that didn't exist.

seasalt007 said:

I wonder how many times Magma has been sued for starting marine fires?

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Well I am not sure that you could google that to get an answer. BUT the fact is that electrical connections do cause many marina fires. That you can google. And the fact is there has been no known fire caused by a properly installed propane stove, grill or propane system and as far as i know there has been no fire tied to a Magma grill either. There are thousands of us out cruising and using our girls every night. i hear of no boat fires as a result. if these grills are dangerous why are not boats at anchor bursting into flames?

It's not that an accident could not happen; it's just that the risk is extremely low. If someone was filling up their boat or outboard with a jerry can of gasoline right next to your grill and has a spill which splashed your grill there would be a fire. The gasoline fumes could ignite if there was a huge spill next to the grill and there was very little or no wind allowing the gasoline vapour concentration to reach between 1.2 and 7.2 %. If that occurs your starter motor or your cigarette or even your phone could ignite it.
There are always risks in everyday life. They just have to be assessed properly and minimised if they are unacceptably high.

Long, long ago, I had a great Weber gas grill. I moved into an apartment complex and in the city I lived in they were not allowed on patios or balconies. Furthermore, not only was their use not allowed, they weren't allowed to be stored there.

I've seen it at many marinas. Because we prefer not having propane on boats, we have electric grills and they do an excellent job. Now, the issue in most places is not the fuel itself but just having the open flame. I'm sure we've all seen gas and charcoal grills flare. No problem out in the open but can be in tight areas.

I've had people docked beside me using gas grills (where allowed) that based on their actions and behavior I kept my eye on them and my extinguisher handy. I've also had someone set up a grill on the finger between us and I did immediately inform them that was not going to be used there. I did offer to help him move it to a safe place on land.

I guess the marinas that dont allow a grill to be used are penalizing the rest of us for the morons that would allow a grill to flame up while having a beer bash on deck, the way I have always looked at grills (on the rail or on the dock) is they are floating on a fire extinguisher. If it get's away from you toss it in the drink. I personally feel a propane bbq on deck is safer than a propane oven inside the boat. If marinas want to lessen fire hazards they would not allow electric heaters on boats.
Has anyone personally known of a marina fire caused from a bbq on the deck or rail of a boat??
HOLLYWOOD

I see people use both propane grills, and electric grills. I suspect Akuna Bay Marina has a propane ban, leading to electric grill use. My marina has no ban, but I think a nearby boat used an electric type last weekend. I just don`t see propane as a problem.